Day 42-I'm done!

So, yeah, I made it! I learned so much since I started to explore TMS and I finally accepted that my pain is not structural, even though my mind sometimes want's to play tricks on me to think the opposite. My worst pain didn't go away but I have seen improvement and my pain level is like a roller coaster (evidence). I realized that journaling is not my cup of tea and feeling emotions/staying with them probably works the best for me. I'm trying to rewire my way of a thinking. There are some things that I'm still trying to figure out, but I already know so much and I'm hoping that with this knowledge one day I will beat this! Also advices from former TMS sufferers on this forum helped me tremendously!

 

Hi, Avy. Congrats on completing the SEProgram. You are so positive, it is wonderful. Believing 100 percent in TMS emotions causing our pain is one of the hardest parts of being able to be free of our pains. Feeling your emotions works best for you, so stick with it.

One of the best ways to do that, I find, is through meditation. Meditation is a time-honored way of relaxing the mind and relieving anxiety, mental stress, headaches, and even physical pain.

I find the best way to do meditation is the technique called the Relaxation Response. Here is more about that...

A friend who is a psychiatrist says about it: “It is so good, so well established. I taught this approach to stressed out teachers, with success! It is simple, not "spiritual," and readily available. This is important: It is the practice, and becoming a habit that is powerful.”

It is done 20 minutes once or twice a day, before a meal and works best if not practiced within two hours after a meal.

Just sit, close your eyes, don’t listen to any music, try to avoid outside noises. Let your mind think of a word such as "One " which has no real meaning or association. Say the word silently over and over. At the end of the 20 minutes, picture and feel yourself as you were when you felt your best, and in a place where you felt that way.

Follow the technique below and see how fast you calm. It is similar to Transcendental Meditation but unlike that technique which many consider to be a religion or cult, and that costs $1,000 from a trained TM coach. The Relaxation Response is not a religion or cult and costs nothing.


Here is an article about the Relaxation Response and how to practice it:

Herbert Benson, M.D. documented benefits experienced through traditional forms of Christian and Jewish prayer. Benson published his “Relaxation Response” method of stress reduction without the mysticism associated with TM. Short structured rest periods provide health benefits.
Herbert Benson, M.D.
Associate Professor of Medicine
Harvard Medical School
and founder of the
Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine
824 Boylston St.
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467-2508
Phone: (617) 991-0102 Toll free: (866) 509-0732
MBMI@CareGroup.Harvard.edu


The following is the technique reprinted with permission from Dr. Herbert Benson's book
The Relaxation Response pages 162-163.

1. Sit quietly in a comfortable position.

2. Close your eyes.

3. Deeply relax all your muscles,
beginning at your feet and progressing up to your face.
Keep them relaxed.

4. Breathe through your nose.
Become aware of your breathing.
As you breathe out, say the word, "one"*,
silently to yourself. For example,
breathe in ... out, "one",- in .. out, "one", etc.
Breathe easily and naturally.

5. Continue for 10 to 20 minutes.
You may open your eyes to check the time, but do not use an alarm.
When you finish, sit quietly for several minutes,
at first with your eyes closed and later with your eyes opened.
Do not stand up for a few minutes.

6. Do not worry about whether you are successful
in achieving a deep level of relaxation.
Maintain a passive attitude and permit relaxation to occur at its own pace.

When distracting thoughts occur,
try to ignore them by not dwelling upon them
and return to repeating "one."
With practice, the response should come with little effort.

Practice the technique once or twice daily,
but not within two hours after any meal,
since the digestive processes seem to interfere with
the elicitation of the Relaxation Response.

 

Thank you Walt so much!
I love to do a mindfulness meditation and I will certainly try this one. It helps me too to connect with my emotions although I'm still learning how to do that.

 

Hi again, Avy. I feel the benefits of doing the Relaxation Response, but have not been able to do the full 20 minutes very often.
That's such a long time when my mind is always so active, and I am a "doer," not a person who likes to sit still.
Maybe I should buy a palm tree and sit under it.

 

Congrats...the pain/id can be 'put in its place'